Story:Star Trek: Ares/Poison Chalice/Act Two
Act Two Fade In Ext. Space Captain's log stardate 58395.1. We're on course for Deep Space 9, ship and crew are up to par I am a bit nervous as to how the ship and crew will fair in battle conditions if it comes to it but all I know is I am happy that I'm commanding a Intrepid-Class starship. Ares is at high warp on course for Cardassian space. Int. Commander Martin's quarters John comes out of the shower with his uniform vest and red shirt on and he gets his uniform jacket, when the com activates and Sito's voice comes over the voice. Lt. Sito (com voice): Bridge to Commander Martin. He tapped his combadge. Cmdr. Martin: Martin here go ahead Sito. Lt. Sito (com voice): Sir you're receiving a com from Deep Space 12. John sits at his desk. Cmdr. Martin: Route it here. He activates the desktop monitor and the image of his best friend Kyle Clarkson appears. Kyle (monitor): John what's up. John: Kyle have you gotten my letter?. He nods. Kyle (monitor): Yeah and I'm not convinced that I can come back to Starfleet they ruined my life John, and you want me to come back to it Clarkson out. John rubs his temples and then leaves his quarters. Ext. Space, warp speed (optical) The Ares is at high warp. Int. Main bridge, Red alert On the bridge is at red alert, Crusher is at tactical, Carlson at the Conn, Sito at Ops, Commander Martin is giving a series of rapid fire orders from the command area. Various N.D's as needed. Cmdr. Martin: Lock phasers on target Mr. Crusher. Lieutenant Crusher inputs commands into the tactical console. Lt. Crusher: Phasers locked on target Commander. Sito looks at the ops console. Lt. Sito: Enemy vessel firing sir. Commander Martin looks at Carlson. Cmdr. Martin: Carlson evasive pattern beta 2. Ensign Carlson inputs commands into the conn. Ens. Carlson: Hard starboard aye, Commander. Lieutenant Crusher looks at his console. Lt. Crusher: Port shields down to 87% the disruptor grazed our port shields Commander but we're still in the fight, Phasers are still locked onto the enemy vessel. Commander Martin looks at the viewer. Cmdr. Martin: Fire! Crusher presses the button, Sito looks at her console and smiles. Lt. Sito: Enemy target destroyed Commander. Martin looks at the middle computer. Cmdr. Martin: End simulation sequence. Secure from drill. Alpha shift, your response time was seven percent slower than the gamma shift. All departments, submit drill evaluation reports. Everyone on the bridge reacts to this disappointing news. Cut to: Main Engineering Cmdr. Martin OC: By oh nine hundred hours. Ltjg. Kelby: Ensign, you'll write that report. TAURIK: Yes, sir. Cut to: Main bridge Martin walks over to the tactical console and looks at Lieutenant Crusher. Cmdr. Martin: What happened back there Lieutenant? Lt. Crusher: I'm sorry, sir. When we changed course I had to re-lock phasers before I could fire. Sito walks over to the tactical console and gives the same advice that Commander Riker gave her during a battle drill. Lt. Sito: Next time, try letting the locking relay float until the actual order to fire is given. They may not teach that trick at the Academy, but it works I learned that from Commander Riker. He nods at her. Lt. Crusher: Thanks Sito. (Taylor enters) Capt. Taylor: Carlson alter our course to sector 878 in the Cardassian Border. Ens. Carlson: Aye, Captain. Martin walks to her. Cmdr. Martin: What about searching for the Cardassian warship? Taylor looks at him. Capt. Taylor: We've been ordered by Starfleet to head to sector the USS Gagarin is under heavy fire by two hostile ships, and we're the only vessel in range they're dispatching Captain Kira in the USS Defiant to search for the missing Cardassian Warship. Ext. Space, Cardassian space The USS Gagarin is under heavy fire defending a Bajoran freighter from two Romulan Warbirds, when the Ares warped into the scene and fires several phaser beams at the two Warbirds forcing the second vessel to retreat as the remaining Romulan Warbird is nose to nose with the Ares as the Intrepid class vessel is between the Warbird and the Gagarin and the Bajoran freighter. Int. Main bridge, Red alert The crew are at their battle stations as Captain Taylor gets up from the Captain's Chair. Capt. Taylor: This is Captain Marcia Taylor of the Federation Starship USS Ares you have violated the Romulan-Federation Peace treaty of 2160, you're instructed to go back to your side of the Neutral Zone border you may of helped us during the War with the Dominion but now you need to fall back to your side. (The warbird does a hard 180 and cloaks) Cmdr. Martin: Wow that's interesting. Sito looks at her console. Lt. Sito: Captain the Gagarin is hailing us. Taylor nods and the viewer changes to the Bridge of the Galaxy-Class ship. Capt. Kovil (main viewer): Thanks for the help Ares we thought we were done for when the Warbirds took out our tactical systems. Captain Taylor nods. Capt. Taylor: We're happy to help Captain Kovil what's your status? Capt. Kovil (main viewer):'' We've taken heavy damage to decks 23-34 main power is down and we've got wounded, Doctor Finn is sorting through the wounded but she's getting swapped with them.'' Captain Taylor tapped her combadge. Capt. Taylor: Doctor Carlson have a medical away team ready. Dr. Carlson (OC): Acknowledge Captain. Capt. Kovil (main viewer): Thank you CaptainTaylor Gagarin out. The transmission ends. Cmdr. Martin: I'll take an away team over to the Bajoran freighter and check on the crewmen. Taylor nods. Cmdr. Martin: Sito, Crusher your with me Mr. Kelby meet us in transporter room 2. Ltjg. Kelby (OC): On my way Commander. Martin, Sito, and Crusher get into the turbolift and heads down to the transporter room. Ext. Space (Cardassian Space) The Ares, Gagarin, and Bajoran freighter are side by side at impulse speed. Int. Bajoran freighter corridor The corridor is very DIMLY LIGHTED. There is evidence of the recent battle everywhere. Charred walls -damaged bulkheads. The transporter effect brings the away team INTO THE SCENE. They are very tense. Sito scans with her tricorder as the others look around. Cmdr. Martin: All right let's search for survivors. The team moves through the damaged corridor as they're searching for survivors, as Doctor Carlson and Lieutenant Crusher check an area and found survivors. Doctor Carlson: Ares we've found survivors request permission to beam them aboard for treatment. Capt. Taylor (com voice): Acknowledged Doctor. Carlson tapped his combadge. Doctor Carlson: Carlson to Ares beam the survivors to sickbay. The Transporter beam washes over the survivors. Lt. Crusher: WATCH OUT. Wesley pulls him back as more wires and support beams fall down. Lt. Crusher: That was close. Doctor Carlson: Thanks Lieutenant, Carlson to Martin Commander we found 12 survivors and beamed them to the Ares. Cmdr. Martin (com voice): Nice work Doctor. Ext. Space, Cardassian space The Ares is flying next to the Bajoran freighter. Int. Captain's ready room Captain Taylor is looking out her ready room window, when the doors chimed. Capt. Taylor: Come. Commander Martin walks into the ready room holding a padd. Cmdr. Martin: Mr. Kelby has five teams working on the damaged freighter as well as five teams helping the Gagarin's engineering staff with repairs to their warp drive. Taylor looks at the padd and then up at Commander Martin. Capt. Taylor: Is there something else you have to say John? He sits down in the chair in front of the desk. Cmdr. Martin: I've been talking to the crew they don't feel safe in Cardassian space. She smiles and puts the padd down. Capt. Taylor: Ah, I've been speaking to the crew as well and I share their concern but we've been given our new mission Admiral Martin your father gave us orders to escort the Bajoran freighter to Cardassia, while the Gagarin returns to Starbase 211 for further repairs. Commander Martin leans back in the chair. Cmdr. Martin: So our shakedown cruise is scrapped? She nods at him. Capt. Taylor: We'll set course for Cardassia when we're ready, Commander I've been reviewing the Bolian Incident myself and I've been wondering what happened cause Starfleet reports aren't telling me much other then there was a system malfunction. Cmdr. Martin: In 2370 the USS Galaxy under the command of Captain Walker we were taking a team of engineers from the Starfleet Engineering Corps to a Bolian colony along the Bolian-Federation border, they needed a power core to power the colony it malfunctioned and 10,000 Bolian colonists men, women, and childern died and Commodore Johnson placed the blame on Kyle and he was dishonorable discharged from Starfleet he's been working freighters ever since. The com activates. Ens. Carlson (OC): Bridge to Captain Taylor. Taylor tapped her combadge. Capt. Taylor: Taylor here go ahead Ensign? Ens. Carlson (OC): Lieutenant Kelby and his team have returned from the Bajoran Freighter as well as the Gagarin, the Captain of the Freighter is ready to get underway to Cardassia. Captain Taylor and Commander Martin head for the doors of the ready room. Cut To: Main Bridge Captain Taylor and Commander Martin sits in their chairs as Commander Martin looks at the middle computer as Captain Taylor turns to Sito. Capt. Taylor: Sito hail the freighter let them know we're ready to depart. She inputs commands into the ops console and then reports. Lt. Sito: Their ready to depart Captain. Capt. Taylor: Alright let's go to Cardassia Kara set course for Cardassia warp 9. Ens. Carlson: Course set and laid in Captain. Capt. Taylor: Engage. Carlson runs her fingers on the console's warp gauge. Ext. Space Ares cranked up her nacelles and leaps into warp along the Bajoran freighter. Int. Main Bridge Sito looks at her console. Lt. Sito: Captain the Freighter is pushing her engines to catch up to us. Capt. Taylor: Commander what's the freighter's top speed? Cmdr. Martin: Warp 5.6 Capt. Taylor: Kara decrease speed to warp 5.6. Ens. Carlson: Aye, Captain reducing speed to warp five point six now. Sito looks at her console with a worried look on her face. Lt. Sito: Captain their still increasing speed to their engines I'm reading hull fractures along the structure, and their hull is on the verge of breaching. Capt. Taylor: (shocked expression) Ares to Bajoran freighter decrease your speed now, or you're hull will breach. Lt. Sito: No response. Cmdr. Martin: I'm reading something in their cargo bay that's getting ready to blow it reads as a torpedo warhead 600 isoton yield. Capt. Taylor: What the hell Bajoran freighter I say again decrease your speed now. Cmdr. Martin: Bridge to transporter room 2 lock onto the Bajoran crew and beam then to Cargo Bay 2. (Viewer shows the freighter blows up into a thousand pieces, as a shockwave emits from the explosion and hits the Ares, the crew holds on tight to their stations as the ship is shook really hard from the shockwave huge shower of sparks erupt from the ceiling and the lights dimmed as the red lights flashed and alarm sounds coolant venting from the ceiling half of the screens on the consoles and back display monitor have shut down and flickering.) Capt. Taylor: REPORT! Lt. Sito: Main power is down hull breaches on decks 5-6 force fields are in place and holding, plasma conduits have overloaded on decks 9-15 repair teams are responding. Cmdr. Martin: What the hell hit us? Lt. Crusher: Shields have failed and tactical array is off-line. Ens. Carlson: Warp and impulse engines are down as well we're dead in the waters Captain. Capt. Taylor: Sito contact Deep Space 9 tell them we need a tow. Another shower of sparks rain down as Sito looks at her console and reports. Lt. Sito: No good Captain coms are down as well. Cmdr. Martin: We're deep in Cardassian space crippled we're so dead. Captain Taylor is shocked by this. (Fade out, End of Act Two)